KABUL, Afghanistan  Mullah Muhammad Omar, the Talibans one-eyed leader, seems to have taken a page from George W. Bushs playbook.

Just as the former president declared mission accomplished in Iraq years before the war there ended, the Taliban made their own victory declaration this weekend, even though roughly 130,000 coalition troops were still fighting in Afghanistan  and keeping the Afghan government firmly in power.

No matter, suggested the Taliban, which calls itself the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, in a statement bluntly titled: Formal Proclamation of Islamic Emirates Victory. The American push to open talks is proof that the insurgents are winning, the Taliban reasoned.

It is but sheer determination, religious and ideological adherence and unequalled sacrifices displayed by true Afghan Mujahid nation for the last decade that today regional and world powers are after to reach mutual understanding about the country, the statement said in the Talibans typically fractured English.

The coalition declined to comment on the Talibans statement.

Most American and Afghan officials would surely dispute the Talibans logic. But taken as a statement of intent, the Talibans declaration offers an instructive glimpse into their thinking. For them, a seat across the table from the Americans  and, if a settlement is reached, a formal role in the Afghan government  may be the victory theyve been fighting for.

That fight looks set to go on for at least a few more years. The combat role for the American-led coalition is not set to conclude until the end of 2014, and Western officials say they expect trainers and special operations to remain in Afghanistan for years afterward. In the meantime, both the Taliban and the coalition have made it clear they plan to keep fighting, even as they start talking.

Few here believe the Taliban, armed mostly with rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and roadside bombs, have any chance of overcoming the foreign and Afghan forces arrayed against them. Even former Taliban officials who now live in Kabul but maintain contact with their former compatriots say the insurgents know an outright victory on the battlefield is a near impossibility in the foreseeable future.

Rather, they say, the Taliban have been fighting for precisely what is now unfolding: the opening of talks as a prelude to the withdrawal of American and allied troops. The Americans, for their part, say theyve been fighting for the same.

But for the Taliban, the move toward talks nonetheless appears to be a chance to take a rhetorical victory lap and score a few propaganda points with ordinary Afghans, the vast majority of whom are tired of war and more inclined to see the talks as a sign of American weakness and insurgent strength than the other way around.

That is sentiment the Taliban are eager to promote, as evidenced by their statement, which was posted on their official Web site late Sunday in English and Pashto, one of Afghanistans major languages. It was the first time the Taliban were known to have declared victory, although they have been predicting it for years. The statement is signed with only the name Khapalwak, though the content for the Web site is believed to be approved at the highest levels of the group.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan showed it openly to the world that it is a well-organized political power besides being a military power, the statement said. The invading countries of Afghanistan are compelled to review their policies by looking into the military and political determination, unity, organization and unshakeable stance of the Islamic Emirate.

The Taliban held up the choice of Qatar as the location for the talks, and for an office, soon to be opened, for the insurgents, as added evidence that it was winning the war in Afghanistan.

President Hamid Karzais government  often referred to by the insurgents as a stooge or puppet administration  wanted the office to be in Saudi Arabia or Turkey and only reluctantly agreed to Qatar under pressure from the Americans. But Qatar having balance relations with all sides and a prestigious status in the Islamic world is the most appropriate place for this kind of office, the statement said.

There is, however, one issue not addressed in the statement: Are the Taliban sincere about negotiating an end to the war in Afghanistan? Or are they just waiting for 2014, thinking they can eventually overcome Afghan forces once most of the foreign troops are gone?

Did they not demand that our soldiers be punished for pissing on Taliban bodies? And Hillary profusely apologized and promised swift and severe punishment. Is not obama engaging in peace talks and negotiations with them?

Did they not demand that our soldiers be punished for pissing on Taliban bodies? And Hillary profusely apologized and promised swift and severe punishment. Is not obama engaging in peace talks and negotiations with them?

From their point of view, they have surely won.

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Their organization is in tact and they didn't have to change any of their radical backwards policies or give up anything, yes they did win.

Did anyone not see this coming?
News flash: everyone who's tried to control Afghanistan--and who's not from there--gets their ass kicked.
"Thanks for coming fellas. Thanks for the weapons. We can use them on the next bunch of assholes who try to fuck with us. Thanks again. Peace "

The last civilization imposed on Afghanistan was Alexander the Great. He did it by killing everyone until they shaped up.

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Staying there to rebuild their fucking country was a mistake, they are not interested in the advancements we could have given them, they are perfectly fine living in mud huts, fucking goats and beating the living shit out of their women.

There isn't a whole lot to be proud of as far as cultural past goes. They have no art, music, inventions, philosophies or anything else that would speak to "culture". They have some creative ways of bloodletting.

This doesn't mean that someone has the right to march in there and impose an alien and unwanted civilization on them. Because whatever they practice as a culture is so barbaric it is incumbent on other countries to protect themselves from the spread of cultural murder. Afghanistan needs more than non-interference, it needs or perhaps a better statement would be that others need Afghanistan to be in quarantine.

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